How to Play Celtic Tribes: Nikki's Guide to Greatness

Everything you ever wanted to know about Celtic Tribes.

Hello, and welcome to the Celtic Tribes Game Guide! I'm Nikki, and I'm going to walk you through the everything you need to know to to teach you how to be the best at Celtic Tribes. Before we get too far in, this guide has been moved to a Wiki. What does that mean?

Well, it means the great folks her at VisiHow agreed to host our game guide, and let us update and modify it with new tips, suggestions, and other details we may find in game play. It also means that the guide now has a permanent home. So, if you're reading this, and you want to help, there are a few things you can do:

We used to have hundreds of Facebook likes, but after the move, we just have one. If you use this guide, please, give us a like, a tweet, or a Pinterest link. Whatever works for you, just spread the word.

We had thousands of great comments before. Let's build that back! Talk, share, and most of all, have fun. This guide was built for the players, so play and share! If you like something, let us know. If you don't like something, well, share that too. That's what communities are for.

It's super easy to use the system here to make updates to our guide. Just click the edit button, and make some changes. They'll be reviewed to make sure it isn't spam (ugh, spammers), but any real edits will be accepted. You can even create and build your own profile, and make guides for other games. If you need help, look me up and send a PM. I'd love to hear from some of my old friends!

Seriously - every top player out there knows about this guide. It's the best kept secret in Celtic Tribes. In this section, we'll start off with building your village, which buildings are most important (some really are not that important, depending on your play style), and the many other important things you need to do in order to make the most of your village.

For those of you who did not know, Celtic Tribes is an online game by Xyrality, that you can play on either Android or iOS. So, Droids, iPads, iPhones, and Tabs, unite! If you have a Samsung Galaxy, or really, any modern phone, chances are that you can play this great and fun free game. Here's where you can download it:

As you read, keep in mind that no single strategy works for everyone. You might have to try a few and see which best suits your play style. I've done my best to separate them all into helpful categories, but If you have questions, post them in the comments section. I will see what I can do to address them or update the guide accordingly, and since this is our new home on VisiHow, you guys can also answer and help each other out.

How to Read the Celtic Tribes Game Guide

This guide is huge.

Seriously, this guide is the biggest thing I ever wrote. It's absolutely gigantic, and takes a long time to read. Because of that, I have created the following menu, and in each section, I have a link to come back to this menu, that way you won't get lost reading through it. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your game!

Artifacts provide great bonuses early on, as do missions. Learning how to use Artifacts and Missions in Celtic Tribes can really help you. These provide a significant boost to new players - not so much for players with 20 villages or more. Use them to grow much faster at the early stages.

No matter who you are, you all eventually be attacked. Knowing how to attack and defend your village is an important part of being able to keep what you worked for. Everyone needs to learn how to attack and defend. It also describes the different player types, so you can fit in with people who play like you.

If you are among the best of the best, then you already know how to maximize your gameplay in Celtic Tribes. Others who want to be there will benefit from these advanced tactics. Skip them if you just play for fun, but if you're a nut like me, then have a read.

How to Play Celtic Tribes: Part One

This is, despite appearances, one of the more important things you will do in the game.

The reason for this is that your in game 'daylight' time is determined by which world you select. In practical terms, the game world is in daylight for twelve hours, and in darkness for eight hours.

You can see that I have just listed the top part of the worlds available in game, but at the time I wrote this, there were more than twenty different worlds to choose from. So if you wanted to, you could create an account on every server.

You would then be able to play an account on every server, and essentially always have something to do. Of course, you might also be an octopus with a plethora of appendages, and nothing better to do than play games.

if you read this entire guide, you'll see how having just one account will take up more time than any one person can possibly have.

PRO TIP! Did you know that during the darkness hours anyone defending has a 100% defense bonus? Generally speaking, this means if you attack a player at night they are twice as strong, and you will almost certainly lose.

So, on my server USA 1, every morning at 9:30 AM the sun comes up.
This also just happens to be the same time my little son wakes up.

We're on the east coast of America, so it's great for me. Other servers will have different times based on your location.

For example, the in game 'morning' time is set to happen at the real world morning time in England. The same for Australia, and other countries, which can be a help if you are working nights and prefer a server with daylight hours that are more suited to your schedule.

PRO TIP! Make your account portable! If you ever lose your device, sell it, or for some of you - have mom take it away because you weren't doing your homework, you can log in from another computer (sorry moms everywhere!). Just click the little lock icon at the bottom of the main login screen, enter your email address (Xyrality has never once sent me spam so far), then enter a password, enter the password again, and click send. In a little bit you'll get an email at the address you entered, and you have to respond by confirming your email address. Once that is done, you're all set. You can keep logging in like normal, or you can log in from a remote PC or other device if you need to. Cool, huh?

The In Game Tutorial

Just the Basics.

Honestly, if you're here, then the in game tutorial served its purpose, which is to simply show some very basic and rudimentary game controls and concepts. Personally I skip the tutorial, as there is just no real reason to complete it if you are going off site for a guide - and top players are generally not using the tutorial. This isn't to say it is a bad tutorial; it just caters to everyone and therefore has to be limited in scope. There is a lot to the game, and learning it all at once through a tutorial would turn off most people anyway. Besides, without the starting tutorial, I wouldn't have a guide to write, and wouldn't you all miss me then?

Your First Village

So, you're in your first village, looking at that confusing screen, and wondering what on earth to do next.

That's where I come in. Read on to learn what to do next.

First, to switch between the two screens shown in this section, you just click the button at the top left of either screen (red dots around it by me so you can see it easier).

That will take you between one screen or the other. Whichever screen you choose to use is up to you, but I prefer the second screen, as it gives me more detailed information.

Some of you might be more visually oriented, and prefer the first screen. It is all a matter of taste, as both work fine.

PRO TIP! Any improvements or upgrades you make to a village are permanent. The more you upgrade your village, the greater chance another player will take it from you - so make sure you have some defense before getting your village much above 100 points.

The same button at the top left is here, but there are also a set of buttons on the right hand side of the screen (also highlighted in red by me) that will allow you to immediately build with one click.

Don't build anything just yet, as you'll want to read more of the guide first (if you must build something, then build the Wood, Clay, and Ore stores, or build the Marketplace, oh impatient one).

Another great feature of this screen is that, if you do not want to build, or lack the resources to build, you can just click on the listed building name and it takes you to the detailed screen.

This is particularly useful if you wan to train troops or build more horse or ox carts (more on that later).

PRO TIP! You can never leave or disown any village you control. Unlike marriage, it really is forever in the Celtic Tribes Game, and just like alimony, another player actually has to take the village from you in order for it to stop being your responsibility.

Top Menu Functions

As anyone who has played video games from near ancient times can tell you, there are some secrets that just aren't meant to be found (much like the Secret Cow Level in Diablo
).

I haven't found any secrets yet in Celtic Tribes, other than those I am working on putting online in Part Three of my guide, but there are definitely some things it helps to know.

A lot of people do not learn these things through anything other than trial and error.

I just wanted to make that process a little less painful for everyone. With that in mind, here is a description of each menu.

You'll have to get directions to the Secret Cow Level from someone else. ;)

Understanding the The Top Menu

Unsurprisingly, this is the menu that appears at the top of your screen.

It actually does very little in terms of things you can click - but it does have a few cool functions that aren't readily apparent (especially if you have more than one village). Since this is just the basics, we'll stick to that now, and discuss the more advanced features later. From a visual perspective, looking left to right across the menu, we have the following items:

This allows you to switch from the default graphical view to a detailed view. When you are inspecting buildings, it also allows you to go back and look at the previous item. Look at the section above if you missed the more detailed explanation.

PRO TIP! There are two special functions of this menu that are unlocked when you get your second village. The first function is that you can swipe this menu left or right to move between villages (this is great if you have a few villages). The second function is even better if you have many villages, as it allows you just to tap on the top menu bar, which opens a detailed list of all villages you currently have. Note that if you are in this second function menu, any troops you have that are attacking or defending other bases, resource farming, or on tavern missions will not be shown. That is because this menu only shows your currently available troops. This is helpful in determining if you have good enough troop strength to run missions and still defend against an attack.

If you are viewing the Messages, Reports, Tribe, Forum, or Profile menus at the bottom of the screen, this menu will not be available. To get back to it, just click one of the other bottom menu options, or use the top left button to go back (discussed earlier in the section on your first village).

The Bottom Menu

These menus are for the actual village you are looking at when you access them.

That means if you have two villages, and one is size 200, while the other is size 40, you may see different options or items on each menu. Refer to the top menu section if you are confused as to which village you are looking at. Also note that tapping most items listed by the menus will open the item if more detail is available, as in the case of Resource Farming showing you how much resources each transport unit is returning with.

This is a menu that shows you several things. The primary thing it shows is a listing of all troops in the village. If you tap the troops list, it will then show you where the troops are from. In most cases the troops will be your own, but there are times you will have troops from other people protecting you. This is where they will appear.

The second thing this menu will show is a listing of all transports currently moving. This includes bronze transfers, resource farming, and attacking troops.

Finally, this menu will show you all active tavern missions for that village, and how long until they are completed.

This menu will take you to the world map. There are two world map views, that can only be accessed from this menu.

Once you are in this menu, a new icon will appear on the upper right hand side of your screen. This will allow you to zoom in or out on your map.

While you are in the map, you can navigate from side to side, and click your villages or those of other people to see more details about them. Any castle that is named 'Free Village' can be attacked - unless it is owned by a player, in which case the village will look different, and it will usually have a player name other than 'Free Lord'.

This menu takes you to a second menu with six sub menu items across the top of the page. From right to left, these items are:

Troop Movements - this menu just shows you a list of troop movements and activities if you have troops attacking or being attacked. The most important function is that of showing you when you are attacked.

Battle Reports - this menu shows you battle reports, and whether you won or lost. It is important for seeing how many troop units an enemy attacked you with, or how many more units you should consider sending if you failed your own attack.

Transport Movements - This menu shows you what transport units have arrived, and what they were carrying.

Rune Technology - This is a simple report that tells you when new technologies have been researched.

Mission Reports - This menu shows what missions were completed, when they were completed, and what the results were (resources gained, troops lost, etc.).

Spy Reports - One of the more important sections, this area will let you know if a spy has succeeded or failed in collecting information from an enemy castle. A good way to test this function is to send a spy to a free castle, with just one bronze piece (one is all you need), so that you can see what the reports look like.

In this menu, you are given access to all of the items to control your appearance. Your name (not castle names, but your actual in game name) is changed here, and you can access the Game Options menu to change and adjust settings specific to your preferences (though they don't always work for some reason...).

PRO TIP! Pay attention to the Village menu, as gaining new villages can provide other options when accessing sub items. For example, you can launch all tavern missions at one time, trade bronze from all villages, or train one unit type across all villages - when you have enough villages. Sadly, you always have to trade silver one village at a time.

PRO TIP! First - you can publish your reports, but not if you delete them! To publish a report, just click the publish report area. Once that is done, your report is published. Now you need to click the copy report link, and paste it into a message so that others can see it. You can even SMS it to your friends who play the game, and when they click it, it will open their game and take them to the report. Second - when viewing reports, you can select one report and delete it, without deleting all reports. This is especially handy if you have a failed spy report, for example, or multiple attack reports, but only one or two are important to you. In massed battle, you might have upwards of one hundred reports per day, so it is good to be able to keep the important ones but get rid of the trash.

Remember - if you delete a report, it goes away - permanently. So, publish your report, copy the link, and then share the link - but do NOT delete the report, and everyone you share the link with can see it.

Sub Menu Items

The 'Down Under' Menu (Alice Springs!)

An in depth look at the sub menu items that are accessible from the Bottom Menu. I like to call this the Down Under Menu, because it reminds me of the Outback Steak House. I know it isn't great, and honestly, it is sort of the McDonalds of steak houses, but not all of us can afford to eat out at Ruth's Chris (and even if we could, who wants to rub elbows with the clientele there anyway?). So, I'm an Outback kind of girl, and this is the Down Under Menu!

This is the menu for those of you who show up early for dinner to get the blue plate special (you know who you are). This menu was made as a tribute and an honor to all you have done for us young ones (except those of you who take away our mobile devices as punishment - that is just not cool). In deference to your awesomeness, this menu shows defensive troop movements - which we all know means it shows power on the move. Thanks moms and dads everywhere!

This is a menu dedicated to all of you married folks out there who have sacrificed quality time watching pay per view Justin Bieber concerts with your deranged and tasteless spouse (did those shoes really come from K-Mart?). In honor of the sacrifices you have made to your fellow Celtic Tribes players, this menu lists combat movements, and the occasional rabid weasel. This is a thank you from your fellow players for taking one for the team and marrying the battle axe. We owe you!

Ever been driving down the road past trash someone hasn't quite made it to the curb with, only to realize too late that they're actually selling it - and the person you are with is stopping? Then you get out, and are treated to records from the 60's that only stoned people bought, and the still sticky toys from someone's distant childhood? God forbid you looked too long, because Yard Sales are like black holes for the soul. There is always something there for everyone. Look too long and you'll fondly remember your childhood pet rodent (the one that died at your hands due to exposure, but your parents were too kind and said he had 'gone to heaven' - even though he was a she, and she said, "Hi, man, take a walk on the wild side, doo, do do, doo..."). Oh god, the records got me! Anyway, this is a tribute to these anomalies of common sense, and as such will show you every wagon, resource, and cart movement you have. How cool is that (and look at those cowboy boots, I think they might fit!).

Hehe. Fire. Cool. Need I write more? This is a tribute and a homage to the parents of Beavis and Butthead (yes, this means you). So have fun with the Widow, and kick someone in the Jimmy while you're at it. Every time you complete research into Rune Technology, you'll get a notification here (and by the way, the words 'Rune' and 'Technology' simply do not belong in the same sentence - ever).

No, seriously, I definitely just said, "The Chicken Leg." This menu was made in honor of the legendary Celtic Tribes God - 'The Chicken' - who countless tribes wondered about, as he was constantly crossing the road, yet no one could ever figure out why. This LED generations of Celtic Tribes Game players to run countless Artifact and Tavern missions in search of the answer to this age old mystery - 'Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road'. We may never know, but keep running those Tavern Missions, and in honor and reverence of the Great Celtic Chicken God, we'll make sure you see a report of every Artifact and Tavern Mission in this menu. In fact, any time you find an Artifact, we'll even make sure it shows up as green (eggs and ham).

You've all seen the images... Ninjas - everywhere. I could go on, but instead, we'll get to the meat of things first. This entire section of the Down Under Menu is totally dedicated to Ninjas. They had such a significant presence in Celtic Tribes Lore (as any historian can tell you), that even the Druids worshiped them. In honor of this, any time you send a spy in the Celtic Tribes Game, you will receive a message from the Ninja academy letting you know if your Celtic Ninja succumbed to seppuku

Questions and Answers

I'm interested in how to expand my villages?

I've reserved a castle in another village. Is that the same as annexing it? If I attack, I only get loot, right? I guess I'm interested in comparing and contrasting reserving a castle, annexing a village, and attacking a village. I hope that's clear.

Hi, it's clear. Thanks for taking the time to ask such a detailed question. If you just attack a village, you will only get loot, but if you annex it, then it becomes your village. I think reserving a village is only done inside of clans, though that could have changed.

I'm posting more sections of my guide here in the coming days, and part two has all of the village information in it.

My villagers are at 0 how do I get more?

I cannot build or upgrade cause my villagers are at 0

To get more villagers, you need to increase the size of your farm. If you have lots of soldiers, you can also attack some neighboring free villages to get resources, which will kill a few - but the real 'FIX' to your problem is just to build your farm bigger.

Also, a little secret, if you send out spies to free villages, sometimes you can find free villages that have well developed buildings already in place, like farms, and similar things. This can make future conquests much easier.

Which building can help me grow fastest?

You need a combination of buildings to grow, but the farm is your most important building, because without a farm, you won't have any villagers, and so can't expand your village.

How can I visit another tribe?

Hi Nikki.

Someone on the wiki page for Celtic Tribes has asked how to visit another tribe and I would also like to know the answer to this question as well. I have read the reply you posted but it still doesn't explain *how* to do this.

In my tribe I'm the only active member although there are two other inactive members. I'd like to visit other tribes but I can't see a way of me being able to return to my own tribe afterwards as there isn't going to be anyone to send me an invite for me to get back!

I'm sorry I didn't understand your earlier question correctly. You can't leave your tribe without an invite back. To do that, you can either invite someone new who can invite you back, or set up an account on another device. Normally I frown on other accounts, but since you are just using it as a placeholder so you can get back in your tribe, I see no real harm in it.

To visit another tribe, they just need to send you an invite, and then you're in when you accept. You can message on their boards and see how active they are. Also, you and others can all join one tribe, and set up a message. That message will stay active as a method of communication even after you leave the tribe (or any tribe).

Does that help answer your question? If so, please let me know, and give us a thumbs up or a Facebook like. Thanks!

I have no clue what I'm doing, need help?

I started the game Celtic tribes and really don't know what I am doing. I actually don't even know what level I am now. I had been communicating with a player and apparently deleted all my messages and don't know how. Can I retrieve them? I also do not know how to use any of the features like the artifacts the guard dogs how to make weapons in order to get Spear-man etc. I have tried: I have quite a bit upgraded but don't know what to do about the artifacts. I still need to join or create a tribe. If you create a tribe can you disbanded later?. I think it was caused by: I currently have no problems just a lot of questions